


Ever Been To A Concert?

by treehousq



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Assault, Awkward Tyler Joseph, Awkwardness, Blood and Injury, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Fist Fights, I Blame Tumblr, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph One Shot, M/M, Minor Character(s), Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Natural Haired Josh Dun, Nervousness, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Protective Josh Dun, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Swearing, Threats of Violence, Tumblr Prompt, joshler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24257995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treehousq/pseuds/treehousq
Summary: Tyler looked to the curly-headed brunette with wide eyes when he grunted, watching him shaking his fist and stepping back.“Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?”The curly-headed brunette swiped his thumb quickly across his top lip, the skin busted and swelling already.“Ever been to a concert?”シ ㋛ シ ㋛ シ ㋛ シ ㋛ シ ㋛ シ ㋛ シ ㋛Prompt: https://fandomsimaginesandstuff.tumblr.com/post/155102124531/dialogue-prompts
Relationships: Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph, joshler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20
Collections: Twenty One Pilots





	Ever Been To A Concert?

**Author's Note:**

> I’m currently out of my home state and without wifi! I’m trying to finish up some works while I’m here but uploading will be halted until sometime Saturday I believe. So in about five or six days depending.

The soft humming of the fluorescent lights overhead gave Tyler an odd sense of calmness as he walked into the town store, a few cashiers were present but it was otherwise empty. Typical at 11:40 PM. He passed through the main entrance area and considered the candy machines for a moment, he rummaged through his pocket blindly and found that he only had bills and a quarter.

_Get the redbull first_. He reminded himself, tearing himself away and walking into the main space of the store’s entrance. He smiled and waved absentmindedly at the grinning older lady at one of the cash registers and walked over. The motion of sliding open the little fridge right before the register and snagging a redbull out was all too familiar for Tyler, and so his presence there for that very reason.

“Another one, Tyler? That’s like, the fourth one this week and it’s only Tuesday!” The elderly lady laughed a little, her voice strained from her years of smoking. She recently told Tyler that she had finally quit it, as the doctors were telling her that she didn’t have long to live if she were to continue it, and–in her words–”she didn’t want to kick the rusted bucket at only seventy-four.” She was real sweet and stubborn as all hell, in other words.

“I know, Bee. You guys still got the two for one deal goin’ on?” Tyler asked, placing the can next to the cash register.

Beatrice sighed, giving Tyler a look that said a lot more than what Tyler had time to listen to. She was always scolding him on taking better care of himself. He had to admit, two redbulls a day probably wasn’t healthy, but he wasn’t getting sleep without the caffeine so might as well have a reason for not being able to sleep. Not having one was more frustrating.

“Yes, dear. We do. Go on and get you another one.” Tyler nodded with a crooked-tooth smile, grabbing another can and placing it next to the first one. Beatrice rang them both up and called his total, only three dollars. He slid the money, surprisingly all that was left in his pocket, minus the quarter from before. She put it in the register and wished him a good night, Tyler returned it and walked out of the main area of the store, stopping in front of the candy machine again.

_Why not?_ He thought as he slid the quarter in the slot, watching as the candy rolled down an elaborate slide built inside before rolling into the dispenser at the bottom. He bent down and picked it up, popping the candy into his mouth and walking back outside into the humidity of the night. His vans raked across the concrete sidewalk as he made his way down the strip of stores all connected, most being fast food places that were already closed at this time.

Tyler hummed a tune, something that had come to him during a dream and he hadn’t been able to get it out of his head. With his hands in his jacket pockets and the piece of candy still rolling around in his mouth, he made a turn towards the parking lot.

Footsteps behind him were very evident, but he didn’t want to turn around for fear of confrontation. He tried to quicken his pace, really regretting the fact that he hadn’t chosen to drive here tonight, so he was stuck on foot. The footsteps were at the same pace as his, slow, lazy, and splashing in every puddle found in the dips and holes of the pavement. Tyler tried to quicken his walking speed without being obvious about it, but all it did was land him in deeper shit as a voice called out.

“Ay there,” Tyler ignored it. Trying to keep his head down and his hood up. “Ay I’m talking to you, turn around.” He figured there wasn’t a point in ignoring the person anymore, that’d probably lead him to aggravate whoever was so determined to get his attention.

Tyler stopped and turned around. Just a few feet away stood a guy in gym shorts and flips flops, choosing to go without a shirt for his stroll tonight apparently. He wasn’t overweight, but he certainly had a bit of a belly on him.

“Yes?” Tyler cringed at the pitch of his voice. Squeaky and higher pitched. So fucking unintimidating sounding.

“Wanna give me some cash?” The stranger picked at his skin, his eyes hooded.

Tyler grimaced a bit as he shrunk in on himself in the slightest, he felt his pockets through his jacket, discreetly checking for anything he could give the man so he could get away. The vibes were not good. Not at all.

“I uh,” he checked and checked and checked, but his pockets were empty.

_Fuck_.

“I ain’t got anything, man. Sorry.” Tyler hoped that would be satisfactory, but of _course_ it wasn’t.

The man seemed to be angry almost, chewing the inside of his lip as he cocked his head to the side. “Nah man, you gotta have something you can give me. Money, items, _you_.”

Yeah, definitely bad vibes, time to go.

Tyler tried running, but the fucker was a lot faster than he had anticipated. Basketball didn’t help him at all here, and he was still a scrawny dude in comparison, so the stranger had the weight advantage on him. Tyler felt his eyes go wide when he was stopped abruptly by a strong hold on the back of his jacket, sending his feet out from under him and his back to the ground. He hit the pavement hard, stray rocks digging into his shoulder blades as he tried to reorient himself after the fall.

“Thought you could run away, ya little fucker.” His voice was disgusting, the intention hidden behind his foul tongue all too obvious as he scrambled at Tyler’s clothes, which thankfully Tyler was able to keep a grip on. Keeping someone from stealing a basketball from you actually pays off apparently.

The stranger had managed to barely begin ripping at Tyler’s jacket before he was suddenly yanked back out of Tyler’s vision, only able to get a strangled yelp out before another hard thud sounded.

Tyler sat up in a flash, whipping around to see a guy maybe around his age with curly brown hair looming over the shorter stranger that had just tried assaulting him. “Listen up, there's no sense in trying to mess around with others like that. Get the fuck out of here.” The new stranger’s voice was smooth, like that of warm coffee.

“Fuck off before I beat the shit out of you and take that boy right in front of you.” Those were not wise words from the man on the ground, as he was promptly met with the taller stranger’s fist to his chin, the sound of dense bone hitting making Tyler cringe as he tried to stand up, feeling a deep ache in his right shoulder. It wasn’t severely damaged or anything, but it certainly would be hurting for a while.

The guy who had tried attacking Tyler suddenly kicked his feet up and managed to get the other guy in the stomach, sending him flying hands first over the stranger’s head. Tyler was sure he’d hit his head or something, but his arms shot out in front of him before Tyler could process a fight had broke out right here in front of him and the landed on the pavement, rocks and skin scraping against each other as he rolled forward and sprung back up to his feet. The scraggly looking guy swung punch after punch at the curly-headed brunet, managing to sock him once in the mouth. The other kept his forearms in front of his face and took one solid swing at the scraggly stranger’s face, hardly affected by his bleeding lip apparently, and hitting him hard enough in the nose to send him flying back and onto the ground. He was knocked fucking unconcscious.

Tyler stood back in shock, seeing the guy who had been in his face barely ten seconds ago knocked out cold on the wet concrete, red and blue lights from a nearby store sign spilling over the dark red blood pouring from the guy’s nose. Tyler looked to the stranger with wide eyes when he grunted, watching him shaking his fist and stepping back.

“Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?”

The curly-headed brunet swiped his thumb quickly across his top lip, the skin busted and swelling already.

“Ever been to a concert?” He chuckled, examining the blood gathered on his thumb and muttering a soft “ouch” before mindlessly wiping his hand on his pants.

“Uh, no actually,” Tyler said, trying to gather his bearings after the whole situation that just took place, “I haven’t. Money and stuff.” The curly-headed stranger nodded as he rubbed his bruised and bleeding knuckles against his pants, Tyler could only watch in discomfort as the blood smeared on the material.

“You good?” The stranger asked. Tyler barely nodded, unable to process much.

“Yeah I think I’m good, just a little shocked is all.”

“Understandable. What’s your name?”

Tyler paused, as if he had forgotten his own name. “Uh, it’s Tyler.”

“Josh. What kind of bands do you like?”

“There was this two-piece group that played at a halloween party one time that was pretty cool. But they don’t do concerts right now.” Tyler scratched around the inside of his jacket pockets awkwardly.

Josh handed his phone to Tyler casually, which only confused the other as he held it in his hands. “Put your number in it.”

“I– huh?” Tyler was sure this was some weird dream. What stranger saves you from getting assaulted like a badass and then gives you their number out of nowhere?

“Your number.” He repeated, a smile of amusement stretching across his face and his eyes resembling crescent moons as his cheeks lifted. Tyler nodded dumbly and quickly typed his number in, shoving the phone back into Josh’s hands nervously and looking away. Josh then asked for Tyler’s phone and put his number in, naming the contact “josh” and handing it back. “Thanks. I’ll text you sometime, yeah?” Josh said.

“Yeah.”

Josh waved and jogged away, calling out “take care!” as he disappeared into the night.

Tyler watched him for a bit, still struggling to grasp what the fuck had just happened. And then he realised that his pockets were empty, when he had previously put the redbulls in them. He searched around the parking lot briefly before spotting them on the ground a few feet away where he had fallen. They were busted on the pavement, contents spilling out and mixing with leftover rainwater in puddles.

“Shit.” He cursed. No redbull tonight, he was out of money. He pulled out his phone and looked at the contact, choosing to add a couple of emojis after it just for his own amusement. He then trudged home and tried desperately to calm his heart down from the adrenaline rush. He’d stood in his kitchen for about fifteen minutes just thinking when his phone buzzed on the counter, the screen lighting up and displaying the notification for him.

Messages - 12:28 AM

**josh 👊💥**

_there’s a concert next weekend. you down to go?_


End file.
